Asus Still Pimping Netbook Category, Launches New Eee PC 1225B

The netbook form factor isn't dead, it's just not the new kid on the block anymore, nor the most popular or even the most portable. Those designations belong to Intel's new Ultrabook category, which sport only slightly larger screens (11.6 inches and 13.3 inches) but a much slimmer profile, and better hardware to boot (albeit with much higher prices). And then there are tablets, these thin slabs of hardware currently incapable of fully replacing a notebook PC, but certainly able to cannibalize a sale here and there. If you're a fan of netbooks, keep your chin up, Asus is still in your corner, plugging away at the once crazy popular form factor.

The newest netbook from Asus is the recently released Eee PC 1225B, an 11.6-inch machine built around AMD's Brazos platform. That's right, you won't find Intel and it's Atom chipset inside the 1225B. The component list shakes out as such:

AMD Fusion APU E450 (1.65GHz, dual-core) or C60 (1GHz, dual-core)

AMD Radeon HD 6320 or 6290 graphics

2GB or 4GB of DDR3 memory

320GB/500GB/750GB hard drive

802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; Bluetooth v3.0+HS (optional)

0.3MP webcam

6-cell battery

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

The 1225B also features a pair of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports, a single USB 3.0 port, GbE LAN port, HDMI, VGA, audio jacks (headphone/mic), and a multi-format card reader.

No official word on price or availability, though according to Notebook Italia, starting price overseas is expected to be around €349 (around $455).